Holy Communion for protestants?

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I made a confession of faith, was baptised, and have now been an ordained minister in a protestant denomination for many years.

Is it wrong for me to participate in Holy Communion when I visit a Catholic Church? Before Holy Communion I have always checked to make sure there was no unconfessed sin in my life.
 
Do you share our Roman Catholic belief in the meaning of the Eucharist?

For now the answer is no you should not.

One who expresses a desire to receive Communion or an attraction to the Eucharist may in fact be articulating a desire to be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church. For many new Catholics the desire to receive was the first step into the life of our community of faith, and their hunger and thirst for the Lord has helped many lifelong Catholics see how tremendous a gift we have in the Eucharist.
 
If you are currently a protestant and not a properly disposed Catholic, you should not receive Holy Communion in a Catholic Church. If you feel as that you want to receive because you believe that the Eucharist is truly the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus, then you should check in with the priest of your Catholic Church and inquire about joining the RCIA program. Don’t just receive because you believe; rather, respect the Church and the Eucharist and receive only when you have become a member of the Catholic Church. RCIA will guide you through some of the basics of the Catholic Church and what it believes. If, after RCIA, you still have that same belief, and believe the other faith aspects of the Catholic Church, then your priest will welcome you through the Sacraments of Initiation and you would be allowed and welcome to receive Communion, provided you are properly disposed and have no other impediments, of course.

:highprayer:
 
Holy Communion is exclusive to Catholics within the Catholic Church. I understand that this can be painful for individuals who belong to other denominations not in union with the pope. However, to receive is to agree to a unity that does not currently exist. It also holds that Catholics are not to receive Communion when visiting other denominations.
 
Guang said:
I made a confession of faith, was baptised, and have now been an ordained minister in a protestant denomination for many years.

Is it wrong for me to participate in Holy Communion when I visit a Catholic Church? Before Holy Communion I have always checked to make sure there was no unconfessed sin in my life.
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Welcome to CAF!

When you receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church you are making a public statement of faith that you believe in what the Catholic Church teaches about Jesus and the Eucharist.

If you believe in what the Catholic Church teaches you should be Catholic.

If you are not a believing Catholic, then it is disingenuous to participate in a religious ceremony that you are not a true participant in.
 
Guang said:
I made a confession of faith, was baptised, and have now been an ordained minister in a protestant denomination for many years.

Is it wrong for me to participate in Holy Communion when I visit a Catholic Church? Before Holy Communion I have always checked to make sure there was no unconfessed sin in my life.
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this is not clear, ask your Catholic priest. If you mean you confessed your sins and were absolved by a Catholic priest and subsequently made a profession of faith and were confirmed by the bishop or the priest with delegation to do so (such as the priest at the Easter vigil, for instance) and received first communion in the Catholic Church, yes you may receiving communion at any Mass if you are in the state of grace, having confessed all mortal sins and otherwise disposed (fasting etc.).

If you mean you made a profession of faith and were baptized in any non-Catholic Christian denomination, with no formal reception into full communion with the Catholic Church (in the steps in the order I describe) then no, you are not yet in full communion with the Church so you cannot yet enjoy the fruits of that communion, namely the Eucharist. See the pastor of your Catholic parish for guidance on your personal situation.

Welcome home!
 
The official answer is that you should not.

But let me ask you this: What is your view of the Eucharist? Do you accept Transubstantiation and the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist? Or do you believe that the Eucharist is only a memorial of the Last Supper?

These are important questions.

Some Anglo-Catholics (Anglicans/Episcopalians) do accept these doctrines. Some high church Lutherans do, as well. Under some circumstances, members of these denominations may be permitted to participate in the Sacramental life of the Church. However these are normally rare instances. It would be best to consult with the Priest.

Catholics are never permitted to receive Communion in Protestant churches.
 
Usually in the front of the Missal the following guidelines are printed at least in the US-

old.usccb.org/liturgy/current/intercom.shtml

So the answer would be ‘no’ for Protestants (not Orthodox, Assyrian Church of the East, etc.)

If you believe in the Transubstantiation, maybe you should consider attending RCIA to become a full member of the Church.
 
Guang said:
I made a confession of faith, was baptised, and have now been an ordained minister in a protestant denomination for many years.

Is it wrong for me to participate in Holy Communion when I visit a Catholic Church? Before Holy Communion I have always checked to make sure there was no unconfessed sin in my life.
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Okay, let me begin with some assumptions:
  1. You never went through any rite of initiation to have “first communion”
  2. You’ve not been to confession in a long time
  3. Your “ordination” is not one which the church recognizes
Yes, it is wrong for you to take (steal) Communion when you attend the Catholic Church… it is presented for CATHOLICS who are in a state of Grace.

When a Catholic takes communion, the following is part and parcel:
  1. they must be in a state of grace
  2. they must, in fact, be catholic
  3. they must believe that it is the Body and Blood of Christ, truly real, physical, and in every sense of the word “is”…
  4. they recognize the authority of the church as the ONLY body from whom authority flows to confect the Eucharist
  5. They affirm the teachings of the church, and their union with it.
since you’re a protestant minister, you DEFINITELY don’t meet with 4, and you DEFINITELY don’t meet with 5… and you PROBABLY don’t meet with 3 in the sense that we do.

If you COULD say that you objectively met these criterion, then there’s one other problem: active participation in protestant worship, such as being a protestant minister, for those who are tied to the body of the church (criteria 4) is sinful, and therefore you wouldn’t meet criteria number 1.

Long story short, observe, but don’t go up for communion.
 
Actually what he stated is accurate, because those who CAN receive in our church are in schism… they are not actually a separate church, nor are they denominations. Denominations is a term to refer to protestants (rather than the Orthodox, for example) and all members of protestant denominations are not allowed to receive.
 
You are right, I should have corrected the beginning of my post. Members of any community in union with Rome can receive Communion. Those who are not in union with Rome may not. The Catechism of the Catholic Church also outlines under what circumstances a Catholic may receive within an Orthodox church and vice versa.
 
Guang said:
Is it wrong for me to participate in Holy Communion when I visit a Catholic Church?
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Yes.

Please respect the Catholic Church’s teaching on this. You are not in visible communion with the Catholic Church.

If you intend to become a Catholic, please talk directly with your parish priest.
 
Thank you for the very helpful (and kind) answers!
I have a follow-up question. I have another non-Catholic friend (he’s actually ex-Catholic, I believe) that, whenever he visits a Catholic Church, during Holy Communion, he will sit there with arms folded and a scowl on his face. He radiates disapproval, and doesn’t want to talk about it afterwards. Sometimes I have been sitting next to him.

I don’t like his attitude, and am very uncomfortable with it. However, my question is not about him, but about myself. Since partaking of Holy Communion is not an option (for very good and clear reasons, as so many of you pointed out), what would be a good way to participate in the solemnity and holiness of the occasion, as a devoted, but non-Catholic Christian, while Holy Communion is taking place?
 
Guang said:
Thank you for the very helpful (and kind) answers!
I have a follow-up question. I have another non-Catholic friend (he’s actually ex-Catholic, I believe) that, whenever he visits a Catholic Church, during Holy Communion, he will sit there with arms folded and a scowl on his face. He radiates disapproval, and doesn’t want to talk about it afterwards. Sometimes I have been sitting next to him.

I don’t like his attitude, and am very uncomfortable with it. However, my question is not about him, but about myself. Since partaking of Holy Communion is not an option (for very good and clear reasons, as so many of you pointed out), what would be a good way to participate in the solemnity and holiness of the occasion, as a devoted, but non-Catholic Christian, while Holy Communion is taking place?
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Fervently pray for the union of all Christians, which is our Lord’s will.
 
You may want to speak with the local priest, but in many locales I’ve seen, pre-First Communion children go through the line, with their arms crossed on their chest to get a blessing from the priest or deacon. In some places I’ve seen adults, that apparently couldn’t/shouldn’t receive communion, do the same.

For me personally, I had a 5 year stretch where upon returning to the Church but didn’t have my marriage in order (my wife was a divorcee so we needed to get her an anullment before we could get our marriage convalidated) during which I just stayed in the pew and prayed. I tried to be near the end so as to make it easier for the others to get to/ return from communion.
 
Guang said:
Since partaking of Holy Communion is not an option (for very good and clear reasons, as so many of you pointed out), what would be a good way to participate in the solemnity and holiness of the occasion, as a devoted, but non-Catholic Christian, while Holy Communion is taking place?
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Remain in your pew and pray. Reflect on the Real Presence. You may find your way home to the Church Christ founded. 🙂
 
Guang said:
Since partaking of Holy Communion is not an option (for very good and clear reasons, as so many of you pointed out), what would be a good way to participate in the solemnity and holiness of the occasion, as a devoted, but non-Catholic Christian, while Holy Communion is taking place?
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I would highly encourage you to receive a blessing from the priest. When reaching the front of the line, cross your arms in an X in front of your chest and the priest will know what you are requesting.
 
If in a strict sense you are not permitted to partake it then you should not… But why is my conscience telling me to let him have it if he really desires Jesus in his life, am I wrong?
 
RamonAnthony said:
If in a strict sense you are not permitted to partake it then you should not… But why is my conscience telling me to let him have it if he really desires Jesus in his life, am I wrong?
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I understand and agree with what the church teaches about unity. At the same time I understand what you are asking Ramon…that being said (and I’m not advocating disobeying) no minister of the Eucharist is asking for proof of Catholicism…it happens.
 
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